


a lie by omission

by neverlasting_legend (splitdevotion)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2013-12-11
Packaged: 2018-01-04 08:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/splitdevotion/pseuds/neverlasting_legend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry jumps to conclusions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a lie by omission

**Author's Note:**

> Written before 3.08 fucked everything to hell. Finished after our dreams were crushed. I’m sorry.

Peter weaved through the trees, slowing only for his charge to catch up. 

The trek had been quiet without the Lost Boys to antagonize the Truest Believer and Peter didn’t care to disturb the boy while he shuffled through his thoughts.  It’s not often that he enjoyed peace, often preferring the chaos that comes with ruling a tribe of wild children, but he found that he rather liked Henry when he wasn’t spouting (albeit true) accusations.

“Wendy doesn’t trust you.”

So much for a peaceful march to the boy’s death.

“And why do you say that?”

“Just a feeling,” Henry shrugged, “My mom can tell when someone lies and I – well, I’m good at reading people.”

“Really now?” Peter asked sardonically.  “What do you read of me then?”

“That I shouldn’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

“And here I thought we had finally become friends,” he mocked.

“We’re _not_ friends,” Henry scowled.  “Just because I’m helping you doesn’t mean I like you.”

“Dully noted,” He let a low branch fling back, falling back into the quiet rhythm of _duck here_ and _step over that_. 

“So why doesn’t she trust you?”

Peter drawled, “For many reasons I’m sure.”

“No, seriously.”

“And I’m being serious as well,” he said shortly, “Wendy’s list of grievances against me may well be the longest in existence.”

“What’d you do to her?  For her to hold a grudge against you?”

“She holds a grudge against me now?” Peter asked mildly.

“Well,” Henry paused.  “Maybe grudge is too strong,” he conceded.  “She kinda seemed disappointed in you.”

Peter glowered at him. 

_Disappointed?_   As if Wendy Darling had the _right_ to be disappointed in him.  _No_ _one_ did. 

He was _the Pan_ after all. 

Between her and the team of idiots that had invaded his island, Pan was ready to rip out Henry’s heart and be done with it.  Had it not been for the fact that he needed the heart to be willingly given, he would’ve done just that.

Instead, he made a show of being ashamed.

“Perhaps she resents me still for taking her away.”

“Taking her away?”

“Yes, Wendy came away to Neverland and I let her go back.  It was a foolish mistake on my part I suppose but she was a _girl_ ,” he says the word with the right amount of distaste.  “I had no need for girls in Neverland and girls seem to never want to stay here anyway.”

Henry blinked in surprise.  “They don’t?”

“Not ever,” Peter said solemnly.  “And it gets rather tiring to hear day in and day out that they want to go home.”

“I’ve been asking you to go home.”

“I didn’t say that it was exclusive to girls.  Almost all of the Lost Boys ask to go home at first but after a while, they stop.  Girls don’t.”

“Just because they stop asking doesn’t mean they don’t want to go home any less.”

“Perhaps, but saying yes to staying on the island is a decision that once made you can’t take back.”

Henry frowned.  “When are they given a choice?”

“After they stop asking for home of course,” Peter shrugged as if it were obvious.  “If they really wanted to leave, all they have to do is say no when I ask them.  I’ve asked every single one of the boys here at one point and they’ve all said yes.  Girls never do.”

Henry chewed on the information.  “So what about Wendy?  If she said no and you let go of the kids who don’t want to stay, why’d you take her back?”

“She didn’t say no,” Peter stressed.  “She _wanted_ to stay.”

Henry furrowed his eyebrows, “Then why’d she go back?”

“Because I made her go.  I told you Henry, no girl had ever chosen to stay and frankly, I never wanted one to stay.”

“But she did and you sent her away and then you took her back.”

“Like I said, it was a mistake and I felt guilty for making one who chose the island leave.”

“Wait, if you took her back and she _wanted_ to stay, then it makes no sense.”

Peter rolled his eyes.  “Tell me, would you want to come back to a place that you were told you didn’t belong?”

Henry, interestingly enough, gave a half-smile.  “I guess not but then again, I’ve been told that I’m stubborn.”

“So I’ve learned.”

Henry was quiet for a _wonderful_ moment before he blurted, “You love her don’t you?”

Peter stopped to look incredulously at the boy.  “ _Excuse me?_ ”

“Wendy,” he said in explanation.  “You love her.”

Peter grimaced, “I haven’t the faintest idea to how you came to that conclusion.”

“Well, that’s why you need me right?” he asked carefully.  “To save her?”

“I need you to save all of magic.”

“Yeah, but that’s still to save her isn’t it?  She’s dying because magic is dying.”

“Stating the obvious again, my boy.”

“So you love her.”

“Why are you so insistent on having me love her?”

“Because she’s your _True_ Love.”

For the first time ever, Peter Pan stumbled on Neverland ground.  “ _What?”_

“At least you are in the story you’re in,” Henry’s eyes crinkled as he grinned.  “I mean, in the story back home right, you take her away, and you try to get her to stay in Neverland and you guys have all these adventures but she doesn’t in the end because she wants to grow up.  And you – _you let her go_.”

“You’re insane,” Peter grumbled.  “How does letting someone go equate to True Love?  If anything, keeping someone would if that’s anything I’ve seen.  And if you’ve hadn’t noticed, your world tends to make _many_ mistakes on these tales of ours.”

“Yeah, but they’re at least some grain of truth to them.”  He cocked his head, “I mean, you let her go but brought her back because she was sick right?  You could’ve just let her die naturally but you cared enough to save her.”  Henry smiled then.  “That’s why I’m helping you, you know.  I don’t trust you Peter.  You’ve done _nothing_ for me to trust you.  But I believe that you care for Wendy even if you don’t think you love her so that’s enough for me to want to help you.”

Peter was quiet for a bit. 

He wasn’t in love with Wendy.  He couldn’t be.  He wanted to tell the boy that.  Wanted to reject every one of his incorrect assumptions.

Instead, he said, “Thank you,” and led the boy onto the boat.

Perhaps when he had a heart, he would see if Henry was right.


End file.
